


The Hawke

by jinxedragon



Series: Ain’t that a Kick in the Head [2]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II, Fallout (Video Games)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Multi, Shay has a potty mouth
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-24
Updated: 2016-10-26
Packaged: 2018-08-24 07:32:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8363299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jinxedragon/pseuds/jinxedragon
Summary: Ebon Hawke has an easy time getting into trouble, now it's just been doubled.A series of drabbles taking place before and during The Wanderer from Ebon Hawkes POV.





	1. Meeting a Dragon

**Author's Note:**

> Ebon Hawke's first encounter with Shay.

  The first time I had meet Shay, I was pretty sure one of us was about to die. Shay had literally come from nowhere; he’d fallen from the sky and had landed right on top of me.

_

   My back hit the ground in the courtyard first, than my head hit. Pain blossomed through my skull and something wriggled on top of me looking to quickly get away.  Not thinking I grabbed onto the closest limb, a gangly cold arm. The body on top of me froze.

   “Varric did a high dragon just land on top of me?” I asked sarcastically trying to get a good look at what or who had decided to use me as a landing cushion. My eyes quickly caught his and we both froze in place.  Dark clouded eyes stared back at mine through ruffled light brown hair.

  The kid was covered in scars; the most prominent were the three across his left cheek. It looked as if something or someone had clawed his face. The next scar that caught my eyes was the one around his neck and it made my blood run cold. It was faint but the lines were too clean.  It formed an impression of something that was long gone now, something that had been a collar.

  “What the fuck are you looking at,” the kid bit out trying to get up again. My hold on his arm kept him in place though. He sent me a glare as he tried to pull his arm free.

  “Watch it Hawke, looks like your high dragon’s got bite to it,” Varric snickered as he stood over us with no indication of helping either of us.

  “Oooo is someone talking about biting,” Isabela laughed as she sauntered over to stand by Varric.  Fenris right behind her grunted a laugh as well.

  “I’m so glad this is so entertaining to all of you,” I said rolling my eyes and letting go of the kids arm. The kid didn’t move; he froze in place his eyes quickly darting between all of us. Before I could say anything further a voice shouted,

 “Get back here you thief!” A man in merc gear yelled from the top of the stairs.

  That was all it took to get the kid to start to bolt, only to have a firm pair of hands stop him. Aveline lifted him completely off me, keeping a firm grip on him and staying firmly between him and the mercs.

  “Getting into trouble already Shay?” she said with a smirk.

  “Hey, I didn’t do shit,” he began, “I was minding my own business when these assholes started chasing me.”

  The mercs had finally caught up with all of us. Out of breath the tall one started, “ This little ingrate stole some of our gear!”

  “Really, and where exactly do you think I have it hidden on me?” the kid, Shay, asked the merc as he patted himself down revealing he had nothing on him but a long dusty coat, shirt, pants, and a pair of boots. It was then it dawned on me how small he was, probably about the same height as Merril but a lot skinner than her; too skinny for it to be healthy.  

  “You probably ditched it when you saw us coming,” The merc accused him.

  “I didn’t do shit!” Shay tried to lunge at the merc only to held firmly in place by Aveline.

  She sighed and looked at the mercs, “Do you have proof it was him.”

  The merc looked at his friends who shrugged in response and a simple “No,” escaped his lips.

  “Then I suggest you move along and allow the guard to handle it,” Aveline stated firmly.  The merc in response sputtered and threw up his hands, storming off in response; his friends close behind.

  “Dickheads,” Shay muttered under his breath.

  “Shay,” Aveline warned as she let go of him allowing him to spin and look at her.

  “Yeah, Yeah. Thanks Av,” He smirked at her as her eyes grew harsh.

  “So ‘Av’, you know this high dragon that landed on top of me?” I said with my own smirk sent to Aveline. She glared daggers at me and was about to respond when Shay interrupted.

  “And are you going to act like a damsel in distress and lay in the dirt all day?” Shay snarked a response.  

  “Oh no, I was thinking of taking a nap since I was down here anyway,” I responded by leaning back and putting my arms behind my head. “I’m sure others would just love to land on me from out of the sky, without so much of a ‘thank you for cushioning my fall’.”

  “Oh thank you so much, I’d be lost without you,” he responded with a roll of his eyes and a small smile that graced his lips.

 “Shay where’s their gear?” Aveline interrupted looking just a little bit tired with our banter.

 “As far as I know probably in the hands of some beggars,” was his automatic response. Aveline snorted and rubbed a hand across her face.

  “Well then let’s hope no one happens to find these ‘beggars’ than, hmm,” she responded staring hard at Shay.

  “Yep, well. Gotta go… see ya Av!” Shay shouted as he ran away from us and towards the depths of low town. Aveline sighed and shook her head.    

    “You’d never let me get away with that,” I pouted from down in the dirt.

  “Get up Hawke,” She said as she turned to leave.

  “Looks Like Aveline’s got a favorite, that’s got to be a story,” Varric said to no one in particular watching the kid’s form disappear among the crowds.

  “One that I’d really like to hear,” I muttered to myself staring up at the sky.


	2. Liquor

  “No alcohol for children,” I said as I quickly snatched the mug of ale from Shay’s hands.

   He looked at me with utter disgust. “This better not be another fucking joke about my height. Cause if it is I’m going to kick your ass,” he then pointed at Merril, “Besides you let her drink.”

  “Hmm?,” Merril hummed as we both looked at her, as she sipped her ale.

  “Well you see Shay, Merril’s an adult and can do whatever pleases her,” I exaggerated slowly in response.

  “How old do you even think I am?!” he asked, outrage pouring from him.

  “17” was my automatic response. Around the table people threw in an agreement except for Aveline and Anders who looked bemused.

  “12!” Isabela called out snickering to herself as she was thrown a nasty glare from Shay.

  I had just started to take a sip of my drink when he said, “I’m 24 you dickheads.”

  I spit my drink out, and looked at him shocked.

  “Oooh, you’re the same age as Hawke!” Merrill added absolutely delighted.

  “You must be part dwarf, short stuff,” Isabela laughed.

 Varric shook his head with a smile, “You had me fooled, high dragon.”

  Shay stood up, his seat clattering to the floor, “I’m going to fucking kick all your asses!”

  Grabbing his shoulders I laughed and sat him down in my seat as he struggled to get free and attack Isabela.  He was lighter than usual.

  “And I see our esteemed guardswoman and Blondie didn’t even bat an eye,” Varric eyed them with a raised eyebrow.

  “Already knew his age,” Anders shrugged in response and hid a smile in his mug.

  “He got lucky no one else did though,” Aveline began, “Considering he did punch my commanding officer.”

  “You what!” I looked at him shocked.

  Shay than proceeded to sink down into the seat with a mumbled, “He was a dick.”

  “A dick who had insulted me; I never did thank you for that,” Aveline said as she sipped her ale, “Also never do that again.”

  Shay snorted, “I’d have to punch you if there was a next time guard captain.”

  Suddenly a rumbling filled the room.

  “Shay when’s the last time you’ve eaten?” I asked keeping a firm grip on his shoulders. He froze in place as everyone’s laughter stopped and their eyes immediately went to him.

  “Ummm…. Yesterday?” he said with a smile that no one believed.

  “Right… how about I get you something to eat first, then you can proceed to kick all our asses like you promised,” I offered. He seemed to slump at the offer and he ran a hand over his face.

  “You did hear me right? I’m an adult, I know how to take care of myself,” he responded, looking me in the eye.

  “Well you see I’m a terrible friend to have then, because I really, **really** like to help my friends and dote on them. And there’s no going back on the friendship deal now, you’re stuck with me for life!” I happily replied squeezing his shoulders. The others groaned in response having been on the receiving end of said friendship.

  “Fine, fine, I give,” he said holding up his hands in surrender.  I let go and started to get him something to eat.

  “Get me an ale too since you just spit mine out everywhere!” he yelled after me. I smiled and waved my hand in response.


	3. Bloodstains and Summoning's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> prompts from http://fyotpprompts.tumblr.com/

Bloodstains

   “Question, Do you know how to get bloodstains off of walls?” I asked as Shay slid into step beside me.

    “No I don't,” Shay smirked, “Here's a question for you. Do you really think that was an appropriate first date question?”

    “No it's more of a second date question, but the conversation stalled and I panicked,” I said with a grin and a shrug of my shoulders. “Sooo, this is a date then?”

   “Please maker no,” Anders groaned trudging along behind us, “I don’t want to be on a date with any of you.”

  “Oh are we on a date? I didn’t bring anything for any of you, though…” Merril pouted as she looked between all of us. “Oh wait, I missed something again didn’t I.”

  “Don’t worry Daisy the only two on a date are the two in front of us,” Varric said smoothly. Shay looked back and gave them all a face.

  “It was a joke,” Shay groaned, “all of you disgust me.”

  I stopped and looked at him, placing a hand on my chest looking heartbroken, “It was my first date though.” A deep blush suddenly covered Shay’s face.

  “Wait…”I said with a slow smile, “Have you been on a date before?” His entire face was red now and he was firmly looking at the ground.

  “Oooh… this is now officially a date,” I grinned grabbing him, Merril and Anders and pulling them into a hug. “Varric you’re officially our chaperone.”

Varric chuckled in response.

 “No way in fucking hell!” Shay mutely screamed, doing his best to escape both me and Merril, who had joined the hug willingly. Anders stood there and seemed to resign himself to this fate.

  “Oh, this is so embarrassing,” Merril blushed, “Oh, Hawke are we going somewhere nice than today?”

  “If you can call undead nice,” Anders muttered, “which you probably do.” He added with a snide.

  “Anders, be nice this is supposed to be a nice date for Shay,” I gave Anders a pout.  Shay had given up struggling and just stood with his face in his hands.

  “You’re all a bunch of assholes,” he muttered into his hands.

____

 

Summoning

   I knock on the door hurriedly, pacing as I waited for him to answer it.

  “Hawke?,” Shay asks as he opens the door, “It’s the middle of the night.”

  “Yes well, you see I might of, kind of, summoned a demon…” I laughed. Oh maker this was not what I was expecting to do tonight. Shay looked at me neither surprised nor outraged, so I figured I was off to a good start.

    “Hawke, you can't kind of summon a demon. You either did it or you didn't. So which one is it?” Shay asked exasperatedly from his doorway.

    “It's the one where they're stuck in the summoning circle between here and the fade.” I cheerfully informed him. Shay stared at me in mute horror.

    “So my answer is kind of!” I grinned at him. You could definitely tell I was panicking; it had been a complete accident. I just really wanted to read those books for some reason and now here we were with me trying to get at least some of my friends together to go kill it before my kind off turned into a ‘defiantly summoned’.

  “You do realize me and magic don’t exactly go together, right?” Shay drawled.

  “I do, but I figured you and me go so well together it would totally cancel out that fear!”

  Shay stared at me a little while longer before shutting the door on my face.

  “So I take it that’s a no on the demon killing, then?!”


	4. Panic and Calm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of warning the first two parts deal with panic attacks.

  I choked back a sob that threatened to break free. My insides felt like they were crushing in on themselves and breathing was difficult. The memories had come back uncalled for.  The image of Bethany’s lifeless form crushed by the ogre had suddenly appeared as I watched Shay get knocked back and unconscious by the pride demon.   _Not again, Not again_ ; my mind panicked.

  “Hawke, Ebon” someone called softly. I looked up realizing the fight was over. I was kneeling on the ground huddled into a ball. Shay sat in front of me looking concerned, the others not far behind him keeping their distance. _He’s safe, he’s fine_ ; I tried to speak, tried to tell them I was fine, only for it to come out a sob.

  “Ebon… can I touch you?” Shay asked looking me in the eye. I slowly nodded my head. He scooted across the ground to sit next to my side and slowly rubbed my back. I leaned into his touch and allowed myself to slowly calm down.

_______

  It was only after Ketojan died, that I noticed Shay was uncharacteristically quiet. “Shay?” I asked hurrying over to him only to stop when he said:

  “Don’t… Just don’t,” he hissed through his teeth. He closed his eyes and was attempting to calm his breathing.

  “What do you need me to do?” I asked concerned. He opened his eyes and looked at me as he slowly sat down in the dirt and said, “Talk, just sit down and talk, please.” He buried his head into knees.

  So I sat down and talked, the others calmly joining in, making sure to give Shay distance. We talked until the sun began to dip below the horizon; until Shay calmly joined in.

_______

    We had decided to stay the night on the beach, much to Varrics chagrin. I laid down, just on the outskirts of our camp, looking up at the stars. Shay quietly sat next to me, looking up at the stars as well.

  “I wonder if the stars are the same,” Shay murmured quietly.

  “Missing home?” I asked turning to look at him.

  He snorted, “Not so much home… just friends.” He laughed, “They probably think I finally keeled over. They probably have already moved on…”

  “I’m sure they still miss you,” I replied softly.

   “They don’t,” he responded with a shake of his head, “No time to mourn the dead where I’m from.”

  “You never talk about where you come from,” I stated looking at him expectantly.

He sighed and laid back onto the ground, “It’s a shithole. Every minute it feels like somethings trying to kill you. Even the water and food are full of radi- poison.”  He looked at me sadly, “Everyone’s out for themselves and if you’re not careful they’ll stab you in the back.”

  “Definitely sounds like a shithole.”

  He laughed, “Yeah.” He was quiet a moment before he asked, “Hawke why do you care about me? I mean to you, I was just some random person who landed on top of you, and I wasn’t the nicest person to you when we first got to know each other.”

  “Don’t you know? I’m a collector of strays,” I laughed giving him a smile as he made a face at me, “Honestly? At first it was because I saw some of my sister in you.”

  “You’re sister cursed like a sailor too?” he joked.

  I laughed, “Oh definitely, couldn’t go a minute without saying fuck.” He snorted out a laugh in response.  “It did change though, just so you know, now it’s just because I like you and your sailor cursing ways.” He looked at me, studying my face like it was hard for him to believe that someone cared about him. He was about to respond when Isabela shouted somewhere from behind us.

  “Now… Kiss!”

  “Only if you pay me!” Shay shouted in response.

  “I’ve got 10 gold,” Isabella quickly shuffled around something and came running. She stood over us and holding a bag of coins above Shay’s head.

  “Deal,” he said sitting up and looking at me with a smirk, “Pucker up.”  

  “Haha, No,” I said sternly shoving Shay’s face away.

  “Aww come on Hawke do it for the friend fiction,” Isabela pouted.

  “What’s the matter Hawke? Afraid of a little lip action?” Shay asked innocently. _Innocently my ass._

“Terrified. Now go away.” I shooed him with my hand.

He snorted; getting up, he left talking to Isabela about how much she’d pay to see him kiss Varric. I breathed out a laugh, _absolutely terrified_.   


End file.
